It consists of four interactive dioramas with push buttons that illuminate common hazards created by careless living. For example, the diorama “the House of Hazards” shows true-to-life tableaus of common household dangers caused by unsafe choices:; a hot iron teeters dangerously on top of the refrigerator about to fall on small child’s head; a man sleeps with a lit cigarette dangling from his mouth; a girl plays with matches in a closet; candles are burning next to curtains blowing in the wind; and paper items are placed on a hot stove where food cooks unattended.

Since this exhibit is put on by firefighters, it emphasizes fire hazards, but other common negligence-created dangers are also represented (Example: Dad is about to step on a stray roller skate). In fact, the exhibit is chock full of all kinds of negligence-created hazards. It seems like an amusing cascade of accidents-waiting-to happen.

Yes, it looks pretty entertaining. But its purpose obviously goes beyond mere entertainment. It is to instruct us, or at least remind us, of how to live safely, something that, as a Syracuse New York accident lawyer who sees close up the result of negligent behavior, I am all in favor of! So I take my hat off (not to be left near a hot stove) to the New York State Office of Fire Protection.